Is Following a Vegan Diet Healthier For You?

From larger twists to simply substituting 2% cow milk in your favorite Matcha Green Tea Latte to Almond milk proves -Veganism is here!

Embracing a vegan diet is getting trendier as one of the emerging healthy lifestyles globally as you no longer need to hunt down a vegan café near your place. Vegan foods and supplements have significantly climbed the shelves of supermarkets, restaurants, pharmacies, and many food outlets. People are strongly inspired by the perceived health benefits and philosophy of a vegan diet which also aligns with their ethical views of personal impact on the environment.

What is a Vegan diet?

The vegan diet is an all-plant-based diet that avoids all aspects of animal origin. The animal derived nutrition includes animal food like meat, fish, and seafood, and its by-products like dairy, eggs, cheese, honey, gelatin, casein, whey, and many more. The diet highlights environmentally friendly food sources circling fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, beans, lentils, and seeds as well as discovering newer and creative ways to eat as well as stay healthy. Therefore, animal-derived nutrition is substituted with plant-based replacements in a vegan diet and a well-planned diet plus food preparation is necessary to cover up the nutrient deficiencies.

Why is vegan diet so popular recently?

Food meat is the organ or flesh of an animal consumed as food. It is classified into Red meat (like beef, pork, lamb, goat), White meat (chicken, turkey, duck), and Processed meat (hot dogs, sausages, corned beef, ham, canned meat, bacon). Fresh meat is a source of high protein with several vitamins and minerals. However, studies suggest that cooking meat at high temperatures similar to grilling, roasting, and frying meat for long periods of time causes a buildup of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). These PAHs are being heavily researched to check for harmful carcinogenic effects. Apart from these, animal welfare, sustainability, weight management were equally giant motivators to promote the vegan philosophy.

What are the benefits of a vegan diet?

Naturally lower fat, higher fiber content, and lots of antioxidants in a vegan diet are the core takeaways which helps one on a long run to maintain health and well-being. Furthermore, vegan diet and lifestyle is also being researched for its contribution towards weight loss, heart health, Type II Diabetes Mellitus, lowering cholesterol, as well as reducing the risk of stomach, colorectal, and breast cancers. The abundance of fruits, vegetables, legumes tends to aid in easy digestion, healthy gut microbiome, reducing inflammation and acquiring a robust immune system. Being lower in saturated fats and cholesterol levels minimizes the risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood sugar levels, combating obesity and improving heart health.

Why do vegans need a well-planned diet plan?

While thanking the plants for the enumerable food resources, at times, high protein, few vitamins, and mineral food sources are readily available from animal-based nutrition. This reiterates that a vegan diet will need a well-researched meal plan that substitutes nutrients like vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, Omega-3 and many more vitals to establish a well-rounded diet. Let’s go through some facts to check why.

Did you know?

• Plant-based zinc is harder for our bodies to absorb when compared to animal-based zinc due to the presence of phytates. These phytates bind with zinc in the gut and hinders the zinc absorption.
• Heme-iron is an iron type exclusively found in red meat. Whereas, the heme iron is more easily absorbed than the non-heme iron which is common in plant sources and hence comparatively poorly absorbed.
• Certain non-essential amino acids or antioxidants like carnosine, taurine, and creatine are more easily available from animal sources than plant sources.
• Vitamin D3 (animal sources) is more effective in reaching the required vitamin D levels in the body for a longer period of time than Vitamin D2 (plant sources).

Now, let’s keep reading to learn how to achieve a well-rounded vegan diet.

What is a well-planned vegan diet?

A well-planned vegan diet means simply identifying the nutrient deficiencies in your Vegan-for-life-restricted diet and covering them with suitable substitutes from plant sources and cooking styles. Poorly constructed vegan diets may lead to macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies from plant-based substitutes.

How to be a Pro Vegan?

• Protein-rich alternatives to meat, fish, and eggs: Tofu, Spirulina, Chlorella, Protein powders
• Cow-milk alternatives: Soy milk, Oat milk, Almond milk, Coconut milk, Rice milk
• Fish oil or Omega-3 alternatives: Shelled hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, Algae oil, Walnuts, Omega supplements
• Vitamin D alternatives: Mushrooms, soy milk, spinach, or Vitamin D supplements
• Vitamin B12 alternatives: Nutritional yeast, Plant-based milk, fortified cereals, Vegan B12 Supplements
• Calcium alternatives: Leafy greens, Broccoli, Almonds, Spinach, Navy beans, Mustard greens.
• Zinc alternatives: Pumpkin seeds, Chickpeas, Lentils, Almonds, Quinoa, Hummus, Whole meal bread.
• Iodine alternatives: Seaweed, Iodized salt, Iodine Supplements
• Iron alternatives: Whole grains, Lentils, Green Peas, Raisins, Spinach, Iron and Vitamin C sources.
• PRO Vegan cooking style: Soak and sprout grains or beans before cooking to reduce phytates.

The Takeaway:

To sum things up, if you are planning to follow a no-to-low animal product diet, just research well and stay informed. Moreover, you won’t end up feeling low and hungry for switching suddenly from a typical non-vegetarian platter to embracing a salad bowl. Plan your meals in advance and identify shops or outlets and even communities serving vegan views nearby your area. From vegan ice cream, and vegan sandwiches to vegan cookbooks are available everywhere as of now. If planned and supplemented appropriately, vegan diets can certainly be part of a potentially healthy lifestyle and eating habits.

Disclaimer: The content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a Healthcare Professional.